The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) have issued a stark holiday-season warning after dismantling several drug-smuggling attempts involving so-called “suitcase couriers”. Since June 2025 officers have seized more than 280 kg of methamphetamine, cocaine and ketamine hidden in false-bottom luggage and arrested multiple Australian nationals under 30. Recent busts include a Botany man and a Blacktown woman caught with 19.5 kg of meth, a Queensland traveller arrested with 39 kg of meth and an Australian detained in South Africa carrying 15 kg of cocaine.
Criminal syndicates target social-media platforms and dating apps, luring financially stressed young adults with promises of AU$30,000–AU$60,000 “quick cash” for a single trip. The couriers are instructed to buy brand-name suitcases online, which are then modified offshore before collection at transit hubs in Asia, Africa or South America. AFP Acting Aviation Commander Josh Sinclair-Wadham said the technique exploits gaps in travellers’ knowledge of stringent Australian drug import laws and can carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment.
In addition to staying alert for such scams, travellers can benefit from professional assistance in organising legitimate travel plans. VisaHQ’s Australia page (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides easy online visa processing, document-check services and up-to-date information on destination entry rules, reducing the confusion and last-minute stress that smugglers often prey on.
![AFP Warns Young Australians Against ‘Suitcase Courier’ Drug Scams]()
Holiday periods create ideal cover as airports process record passenger volumes – more than 23.4 million domestic and international travellers are forecast across December-January. Authorities have increased plain-clothes surveillance and canine patrols at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth terminals, supported by data-matching with overseas counterparts and airline PNR analytics.
Travellers are reminded that carrying someone else’s luggage, even unknowingly, can result in charges of drug trafficking. Employers with graduate or intern travel programmes should reinforce messaging about baggage security and the consequences of criminal activity abroad. Parents are urged to discuss the risks with children travelling on post-school ‘gap-year’ trips.
The AFP says it will continue to disrupt syndicates by tracing cryptocurrency payments used to pay couriers and by working with social-media companies to remove recruitment ads. Anyone approached with offers to transport luggage should contact Crime Stoppers or their nearest Australian embassy.
Criminal syndicates target social-media platforms and dating apps, luring financially stressed young adults with promises of AU$30,000–AU$60,000 “quick cash” for a single trip. The couriers are instructed to buy brand-name suitcases online, which are then modified offshore before collection at transit hubs in Asia, Africa or South America. AFP Acting Aviation Commander Josh Sinclair-Wadham said the technique exploits gaps in travellers’ knowledge of stringent Australian drug import laws and can carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment.
In addition to staying alert for such scams, travellers can benefit from professional assistance in organising legitimate travel plans. VisaHQ’s Australia page (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) provides easy online visa processing, document-check services and up-to-date information on destination entry rules, reducing the confusion and last-minute stress that smugglers often prey on.
Holiday periods create ideal cover as airports process record passenger volumes – more than 23.4 million domestic and international travellers are forecast across December-January. Authorities have increased plain-clothes surveillance and canine patrols at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth terminals, supported by data-matching with overseas counterparts and airline PNR analytics.
Travellers are reminded that carrying someone else’s luggage, even unknowingly, can result in charges of drug trafficking. Employers with graduate or intern travel programmes should reinforce messaging about baggage security and the consequences of criminal activity abroad. Parents are urged to discuss the risks with children travelling on post-school ‘gap-year’ trips.
The AFP says it will continue to disrupt syndicates by tracing cryptocurrency payments used to pay couriers and by working with social-media companies to remove recruitment ads. Anyone approached with offers to transport luggage should contact Crime Stoppers or their nearest Australian embassy.
